Author Archives: thompsoc

Evergreen Hoopsters Picked 9th, 10th in CCC Preseason Polls

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LA GRANDE, Ore. – As the Evergreen Geoducks prepare for their annual alumni games on Saturday, they learned this morning how the rest of the Cascade Conference anticipates the conference standings this season.  The Evergreen women were picked to finish ninth while the Geoduck men were picked 10th.

On the women’s side, the Geoducks picked up 26 points to finish sandwiched between Northwest Christian and Northwest.  Despite losing All-CCC forward Danielle Swain to graduation, the Geoducks return a strong backcourt, led by seniors Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Monroe HS/Edmonds CC) and Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Oak Harbor HS/Skagit Valley CC).

College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon split five first-place votes to tie for the top spot in the preseason standings.  Oregon Tech collected the other five first-place votes but were lower on other ballots to take third, followed by Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific, Corban, Concordia, Northwest Christian, Evergreen and Northwest.

On the men’s side, the Geoducks were picked 10th after finishing at the bottom of the standings each of the last two seasons.  KJ Hong (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur HS/Shoreline CC) returns after missing the second half of the season last year and will be joined by All-CCC selection Frankie Johnson (Renton, Wash./Hazen HS).  The Geoducks also return sophomore wing Michael Potter (Ridgefield, Wash./Ridgefield HS) and senior post/forward Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Edmonds CC).

Southern Oregon earned seven of 10 first-place votes to secure first place in the preseason poll.  The Raiders were followed by Warner Pacific, Oregon Tech, Northwest, Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho, Concordia, Northwest Christian, Corban and Evergreen.

The Geoducks take on their first outside competition on Saturday when they play host to the annual alumni games as part of Return to Evergreen festivities on campus.  The women are set to tip at 3:30 p.m., followed by the men at 5:30 p.m.  In addition to the games, the activities will include the official dedication of the Costantino Recreation Center, named for recently-retired Vice President of Student Affairs Art Costantino.

Geoducks End Road Swing with 3-0 Win

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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Playing their sixth straight match on the road, the Evergreen Geoducks earned a decisive 3-0 win over the Northwest Christian Beacons in a Cascade Conference women’s soccer match on Saturday evening at Mike Kelly Field in Springfield, Ore.

The Geoducks (2-6-0, 1-2-0 CCC) opened up the scoring in the 17th minute with a little help from the Northwest Christian (3-8-1, 1-2-1 CCC) defense as the Beacons put in an own goal after an NCU defender booted the ball into her own net for the 1-0 Evergreen lead.

In the second half, Vanessa Zamora (Vancouver, Wash./Hudsons Bay HS) dialed up a beauty in the 53rd minute, sending in a bomb from 25-yards out that got past NCU keeper Kristin Fulbright for the 2-0 lead.  The Geoducks made it 3-0 in the 65th minute as Anna Stump (Boone, N.C./Watauga HS) converted on a penalty kick.

Despite collecting the 3-0 win, the Geoducks were outshot 14-7 on the match but Kyla Kitts (Renton, Wash./Kentridge HS/Highline CC) made six saves to collect the shutout.  Fulbright, the defending NAIA defensive player of the week, allowed the three goals, making three saves on the night.

The Geoducks return home on Thursday afternoon when they host Eastern Oregon, beginning at 4 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

Yotes Swing Past Geoducks, 3-1

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – With four players posting double-digit kills, the College of Idaho Yotes picked up the win over the Evergreen Geoducks in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Yotes (9-8, 9-2 CCC) were nearly untouchable in the first set as C of I exploded out to a double-digit lead early.  Evergreen (2-13, 1-9 CCC) strung together a three-point run late but it wasn’t nearly enough to hold off College of Idaho as they hit .455 to earn the 25-14 set one win.

In the second set, both teams came out ready to play as the Geoducks looked like they would run away with it.  The Yotes battled and used a 6-1 run to tie the set at 25-25 but Evergreen dug deep and fought through the extra points to collect a 29-27 set win.  Evergreen put up a match-high 20 kills in the set, committing just six errors on 46 swings to hit .304.

The third set looked much like the first set for the Yotes as College of Idaho controlled the frame from the very beginning, never trailing en route to a 25-15 set three win.  Evergreen did fight back towards the end, going on a 5-1 run but a kill by Emily Ottinger clinched the frame for the Yotes.

Evergreen tried to keep things tight in the fourth frame but College of Idaho had other ideas as a 9-2 run finished up the match for the Yotes as C of I moved over .500 for the first time this season with a 25-10 set four win.

The Geoducks were led by 14 kills from Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College).  Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) added 11 kills while Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) put up 34 assists.

College of Idaho was led by 19 kills from Sofia Anxo.  Ottinger added 15 kills while Liz Myers finished with 12 kills.  Kyle Nawahine rounded out the Yotes in double-digits with 10 kills as Sierra Porter put up 50 assists in the win.  Janel Porter had a match-high 20 digs to lead the Yotes back row.

Evergreen hits the road next week, traveling to Portland to take on Warner Pacific on Friday night and Concordia on Saturday.  Both matches are set for 7 p.m.

Box Score

Evergreen Men Sixth at PLU Invite

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PARKLAND, Wash. – Aaron Jones (San Bruno, Calif./Capuchino HS) took 18th to lead the Geoduck men and the Evergreen women saw their first action of the 2013 campaign on Saturday morning at the PLU Invitational in Parkland, Wash.

A error with the timing system prevented times from being recorded by Jones  was the 18th male across the line. Les Jones (Tacoma, Wash./Mt. Tahoma HS) took 33rd while twin brother Wes Jones (Tacoma, Wash./Mt. Tahoma HS), finished 44th overall.  As a team, the Geoducks took sixth with 184 points to finish sandwiched between fifth-place Trinity Lutheran and seventh-place Olympic College.

On the women’s side, Ashley DiCristina (Prescott, Ariz./Brandshaw Mountain HS) was the first Geoduck of the season across the finish line, taking 57th with a time of 29:16.48.  Courtney Conaway (Granite Falls, Wash./Granite Falls HS) was just one spot back, taking 58th with a time of 29:50.24.

The Geoducks close out the regular season next weekend at the Lewis & Clark Invitational in Estacada, Ore.

Eagles Hold Off Geoducks, 3-1

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Northwest goalkeeper Joe Galbraith made 10 saves and the Eagles made the most of their offensive opportunities as NU earned a 3-1 win over the Evergreen Geoducks in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Saturday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

The Eagles (7-4-0, 5-2-0 CCC) struck first in the 11th minute as Alex Taylor sent a pass up from deep in Northwest territory  and Todd Siedenburg caught Evergreen (4-5-2, 2-4-1 CCC) keeper Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita HS/Shoreline CC) playing up, chipping the ball over Harlow’s head and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

Northwest made it 2-0 in the 20th minute as Josh Guerrero dribbled around two Evergreen defenders before taking a shot from five yards out for his seventh goal of the season.  The Geoducks cut the deficit in half just a few minutes before halftime as Ethan Sumlin (Littleton, Colo./Littleton HS) fed a ball from the middle to Jacob Zimmerman (Olympia, Wash./Capital HS) on the left and Zimmerman chipped it over Galbraith for his first collegiate goal.

Evergreen  put the offensive pressure on Northwest in the second half, outshooting the Eagles, 16-3, in the final 45 minutes but the Eagles defense stayed tough, including seven saves from Galbraith.  NU’s offense also helped out in the 62nd minute as Edgar Esquivel passed in a ball to Jonathan Ellis, who took an opportunity near the top of the box and scored an insurance goal to give the visitors the 3-1 win.

The Geoducks finished with a 22-12 advantage on shots.  The match saw four cautions, including three for Northwest.

Evergreen returns to action on Tuesday afternoon, hosting 24th-ranked Corban beginning at 4 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch.

Box Score